A national advocate for women in sustainable agriculture, Lisa Kivirist serves as a Senior Fellow, Endowed Chair in Agricultural Systems for the Minnesota Institute for Sustainable Agriculture at the University of Minnesota and served as a distinguished IATP Food and Community Fellow. She authored Soil Sisters: A Toolkit for Women Farmers, compiling advice and resources from over 100 women in sustainable agriculture. Kivirist was recognized by In Business Magazine as a "Woman of Industry" for her leadership growing the women in sustainable agriculture movement.

In 2009, Lisa founded the award-winning In Her Boots project for the Midwest Organic Sustainable Education Service (MOSES), a project she continues to lead that champions female farmers and food-based entrepreneurs. She also facilitates the largest women-farmer-led annual event in the nation, Soil Sisters: A Celebration of Wisconsin Farms and Rural Life, a project of the Wisconsin Farmers Union. A leading advocate for cottage food entrepreneurs, Kivirist served as a plaintiff in the successful lawsuit against the State of Wisconsin with a judge eventually declaring the ban on the sale of home baked goods unconstitutional. As a result, she and her family launched Inn Serendipity Fresh Baked Homemade Bakery , offering truly homemade bakery items to the local community and throughout the State of Wisconsin.

In addition to feature writing for publications such as Living the Country Life, Mother Earth News, Edible Madison, Hobby Farms, Natural Awakenings, Grit, MaryJanesFarm and many others, Lisa regularly contributes to MotherEarthNews.com. Both Lisa and John have also been lead writers for Renewing the Countryside, a non-profit organization showcasing rural entrepreneurial and agricultural success stories and contributed to Renewing the Countryside: WISCONSIN, published in partnership with MOSES.

About John D. Ivanko

An award-winning photographer, author and writer, John Ivanko is also a national speaker, ecopreneur and globetrotter. His photography is represented on Alamy Stock Photography and now, working alongside his son, Liam Kivirist, they're capturing videos and stills with FLYING COLORS Drone Videography + Photography using a DJI Phantom 4 Pro+ drone. John works with the Global Fund for Children, an organization dedicated to helping bridge children's understanding of and respect for the diversity of cultures through books and other outreach initiatives, and is the co-author, with Maya Ajmera, of and photographic contributor to six multicultural children's photobooks including the award-winningTo Be A Kid, To Be an Artist, Be My Neighbor, Animal Friends and Back to School. These books are published in partnership between Charlesbridge Publishing and Global Fund for Children Books, proceeds from which help support the Global Fund for Children. John has also contributed photos for Children from Australia to Zimbabwe, Extraordinary Girls, and Let the Games Begin.

For over two decades, John's work has been widely published in numerous publications including Mother Earth News, Innovation & Tech Today, Edible Madison, Hobby Farms, BackHome Magazine, Scottish Life, Grit, American Profile, Urban Farm, Natural Awakenings, Culinate, Islands and many others. His work as gone out over the wires at the Associated Press and picked up on Reuters. He is a regular contributor to MotherEarthNews.com, covering ecotourism, food travel, agritourism and technology. He also covers technology on Techsocket.net and PC Lifeline .

Former advertising agency fast-trackers, Lisa and John are nationally recognized for their contemporary approach to homesteading, ecopreneurship, conservation and more sustainable living. For more than 20 years, they've operated the award-winning Inn Serendipity Bed & Breakfast and Farm, completely powered by renewable energy. They share their organic farm with their son and millions of ladybugs. For more information about Inn Serendipity, visit www.innserendipity.com.